1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus, such as a digital camera. The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus having a collapsible lens barrel, a printing system provided with this photographing apparatus and a printer, and a control method for the lens barrel of the photographing apparatus. The present invention relates to a printer, a control method therefore, and a printing system.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital cameras of improved portability are conventionally known in which the lens barrel moves from a collapsed position inside the camera body to a photograph ready position at which the lens projects out from the front face of the camera body when taking a picture, and collapses from the photograph ready position to the collapsed position inside the camera body when not taking a picture. Various types of digital cameras such as this are known, including a type in which the collapse of the lens barrel is controlled by the ON/OFF of the power supply switch, a type in which the collapse of the lens barrel is controlled by moving a barrier that is provided on the front face of the camera body from a closed position where it covers the lens to an open position where it exposes the lens, and a type in which the collapse of the lens barrel is controlled by the attachment to or release from the camera body of a power supply used for photographing. As an example of a type of digital camera in which the collapse of the lens barrel is controlled by attachment to or release from the camera body of a photography power supply, a digital camera is known in which the lens moves to the photograph ready position when the photography power supply is attached to a memory card with photographing functions that can be mounted to an external controller, and the lens collapses when the photography power supply is released (refer to Japanese Patent Unexamined Application, First Publication No. H08-125962, for example).
Further, a system (PictBridge system) has been realized in recent years for directly connecting a digital camera and a printer using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable, and directly sending the desired image data from the digital camera to the printer for printing. In this system, the user selects the images he wishes to print while viewing the digital camera's liquid crystal screen. The selected images are then provided from the digital camera to the printer via the USB cable, and printed.
When the user is printing the photographed images using the PictBridge system, this printing has conventionally been performed via the four sequences of: connecting the digital camera and the printer with the USB cable, turning ON the main power supply for the digital camera (with the digital camera automatically entering the photography mode as a result), switching the operating mode of the digital camera to playback mode, and carrying out a print output operation from the digital camera.
Further, a system (PictBridge system) has been realized in recent years for directly connecting a digital camera and a printer using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable, and directly sending the desired image data from the digital camera to the printer for printing. This system eliminates the need to take a memory card or other such recording media on which the photographed images are recorded to a lab service shop, and is therefore highly regarded. In addition, in the PictBridge system, it is also possible to perform printing using DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) information.
In DPOF, the source information for the image the user wishes to print (image file name), date/time, number of prints, print type (normal print or index print), character or title information, image rotation information, trimming information, etc. are specified as types of printing control information. In this DPOF, by recording the images photographed by the digital camera along with the necessary printing control information in a memory card or the like, and bringing this to a lab service shop, the desired image can be printed out easily.
Further, in the PictBridge system, first, the digital camera supplies the DPOF file in which the DPOF printing control information is stored to the printer. Next, the printer requests the image file designated to be printed in the DPOF file from the digital camera. The digital camera then supplies the requested image file to the printer. Next, the printer prints the supplied image file. Printing of the image file is thus controlled in this way, enabling printing of an image using DPOF in the PictBridge system.
As a result, by device of a single printing control arrangement (DPOF), printing of the photographed image is possible using either a lab service shop or a PictBridge system.
However, when DPOF is used with the PictBridge system, if the type of image file that has been designated for printing in the DPOF is not supported by the printer, then printing cannot be carried out normally. For this reason, conventionally, the digital camera converts the form of the image file to match the printer (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. H10-65867). In addition, cases have also been reported in which printing could not be executed when the form of the image file designated for printing in the DPOF is not supported by the printer (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-138611).